Cars.com Wagers the 2012 Hyundai Azera as a Best Bet

 

A vehicle purchase can be a roll of the dice when its comes to reliability and day-to-day costs, which is why Cars.com created its Best Bets list to highlight models that shoppers can feel confident buying. The redesigned 2012 Hyundai Azera currently available at Hyundai dealerships was recently named to the automotive site’s 2012 Best Bets list, joining five of its Hyundai siblings.

Like the 2012 Hyundai Elantra, Genesis, Genesis Coupe, Sonata and Tucson, the 2012 Hyundai Azera earned its Best Bet status by meeting the criteria of offering average or better performance in three categories on most car shoppers’ priority lists: fuel economy, reliability and crash protection. In addition, the 2012 Azera had to be fully endorsed by Cars.com editors to become a 2012 Best Bet.

“Buyers can be fully confident that the Azera will be reliable, safe and fuel efficient, but they also get best-in-class interior room and an extremely comfortable ride,” said Bob McCullen, general sales manager of Bow, New Hampshire Hyundai dealer Grappone Hyundai. “And, unlike some other full-size sedans, you get all that peace of mind without sucking all the fun out of driving.”

The 2012 Hyundai Azera pushes around its 123.3 cubic-feet of total interior volume with a 293-horsepower engine under the hood. That power does not mean compromised fuel efficiency, however, with the Azera returning 29 mpg on the highway, more than the 2012 Toyota Avalon. Hyundai’s sedan also nets 20 mpg during city driving to best the 2013 Ford Taurus.

While the Azera’s interior is certainly spacious, offering more room than a Lexus ES 350, its quality was also worthy of being named to the 2012 Ward’s 10 Best Interiors list. WardsAuto recently chose the 2012 Azera from a group of 40 vehicle nominees with new or significantly updated interiors. With no price cap or limit on the number of models honored per segment, the Azera and its up-market interior beat out models from BMW, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche to make the list.

WardsAuto praised the Azera’s interior for its style and numerous luxury amenities. Editors at the publication noted available features like the heated and cooled front leather seats, power rear sunshade and panoramic roof. The 2012 Azera includes a number of standard interior features as well, including Bluetooth connectivity, a rearview camera, proximity key entry and push-button start, steering-wheel-mounted controls and a navigation system with a seven-inch touchscreen.

“The only thing the Azera is missing is the outrageous price tag most luxury vehicles carry,” added McCullen. “Hyundai designed the Azera to excel in everything it does, whether it is performance, technology, efficiency or overall value.”

Honda Repeats as Leader in Edmunds.com’s Best Retained Value Awards

 

Honda has long been known for the longevity of its vehicles, but even with improvements in quality across the industry, the automaker is still leading in predicted retained value. For the second year in a row, new vehicles at Honda dealerships topped the non-luxury brand category in Edmunds.com’s 2012 Best Retained Value Awards. The Honda brand beat all luxury brands as well, featuring a higher average retained value than luxury-brand winner Acura, Honda’s premium-vehicle offshoot.

Edmunds.com chose its winners based on the highest projected residual values after five years, expressing each as a percentage of their original True Market Values. In addition to naming two overall brand winners, the auto-research site ranked vehicles in 23 model-level categories like Sedan Under $20,000, which was led by the Honda Civic. Only 2012 models that arrived at dealerships by the end of 2011 were eligible, and they needed to have February unit sales that were at least 20 percent of the average for models in their segment. Eligible brands were those that moved more than 100,000 units in 2011.

“You see Hondas from two decades ago still out on the road everyday, and because of that ongoing reliability, Honda owners know that they are going to get the most money back when they trade their vehicle in,” said Joe Dubois, general sales manager of Bow, New Hampshire Honda dealer Grappone Honda. “Today’s Hondas extend that value even further with the latest technology, outstanding fuel efficiency and safe designs that buyers have come to expect.”

Four Honda vehicles won a 2012 Best Retained Value Award, with the Civic earning a second nod in the Hybrid category for the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, and the 2012 Honda CR-V and Odyssey taking the SUV $25K-$35K and Vans categories, respectively. The Honda CR-V led its brand-mates with a retained value of 54.6 percent, while the standard Honda Civic followed at 50.0 percent. Edmunds.com estimates that the Honda Civic Hybrid will retain 46.1 percent of its value after five years, and the Honda Odyssey is predicted to maintain 43.5 percent of its worth.

While Edmunds.com singled out the 2012 Honda Civic as a solid long-term investment, Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com recently dubbed the sedan as environmentally friendly as well. Named one of the 10 Best Green Cars of 2012 by kbb.com, the Civic was praised by the automotive site for its diverse set of drivetrains, all of which achieve nearly 40 mpg or better on the highway. Civic buyers can choose from gas-only, hybrid and natural-gas models.

To help owners squeeze as much energy as they can from every tank of gas, the 2012 Civic comes with an Eco Assist feature that serves as a driving coach. When the vehicle is being driven most efficiently, coaching bars on either side of the speedometer turn green. For economical driving that requires less thinking on the part of the driver, the Civic comes with an ECON mode that reconfigures the engine and other energy-consuming sources to optimize efficiency.

“The Civic essentially is two cars in one,” added Dubois. “You can take it for a sportier drive on the back roads and then press the ECON button once you hit the highway on-ramp to save on gas. It caters to however you’re feeling in the moment.”

 

Hyundai Rated First in Fuel Economy by the EPA

Automakers make a lot of claims about their vehicles’ fuel efficiency and environmental merit, but ultimately it is the EPA that has the final say in legitimizing those claims. In that respect, fuel-conscious buyers may want to head to a Hyundai dealership for their next vehicle, as the brand was rated best in fuel economy and lowest in CO2 emissions in the EPA 2011 Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends Report.

Analyzing 2010-model-year vehicles, the EPA report found that Hyundai models averaged an adjusted fuel economy of 27.0 mpg and CO2 emissions of 329 g/mi, placing the brand first among the 13 highest-selling automakers in the United States. Though it earned the top spot over past winners like Honda and Toyota, Hyundai had been ranked first previously as well for the 2008 model year. The EPA also forecasts that the fuel-efficiency crown will stay with Hyundai for 2011-model-year rankings, estimating an adjusted fuel-economy rating of 27.5 mpg.

“We expect to continue to see high gas prices this summer, but Hyundai makes it easy for drivers to save at the pump,” said Anne Plourde, general sales manager of Bow, New Hampshire Hyundai dealer Grappone Hyundai. “Hyundais are built with lightweight materials, innovative engines and smooth-shifting transmissions that allow drivers to return impressive fuel-economy numbers that other automakers just can’t deliver.”

The EPA report also notes that Hyundai is the only manufacturer to have four models achieving 40 mpg on the highway, including the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Accent, Veloster M/T and Elantra. Currently, a 1.6-liter GDI engine provides the 2012 Veloster and Accent with 138 horsepower and 40 mpg on the highway. Meanwhile, the 2012 Sonata Hybrid adds more power to the mix, thanks to a 2.4-liter gas engine, an electric motor and a lithium polymer battery that combine to deliver a total of 206 horsepower.

As the only vehicle in its segment with a standard 40-mpg highway rating across all trim levels, the Hyundai Elantra has a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that returns 148 horsepower. That efficiency gives Hyundai’s compact car a highway driving range of up to 500 miles, making it well suited for long summer road trips.

Hyundai is currently rolling out its 2013 Elantra, which offers new standard and optional equipment to buyers. The base 2013 Elantra GLS M/T sports a number of newly standard features like cruise control and a telescopic steering wheel, both of which previously had to be purchased in the Comfort Package. Meanwhile, the Elantra GLS A/T’s Preferred Package includes heated seats to make chilly New England mornings more bearable. A power driver’s seat with lumbar support is now a standard feature on Limited trim models.

“The Elantra is as ready for your morning commute as it is for your weekend getaway,” added Plourde. “Great fuel economy, high resale value and Hyundai’s signature styling make the Elantra a smart investment that will keep owners satisfied for the life of their vehicle.”